Yokohama- Mohamed Sabe Japanese outfit Gamba Osaka edged past Pachuca of Mexico with a 1-0 victory in Yokohama on Sunday to clinch third place at the FIFA Club World Cup. A first-half strike from Masato Yamazaki was sufficient for the Japanese team to claim the bronze medal. Gamba players came on with all guns blazing and outplayed Pachuca in the first-half. They came close to scoring on a few occasions thanks to efforts from Yasuhito Endo and Ryuji Bando, however some good saves from keeper Miguel Calero kept Gamba at bay. Yamazaki scored the game's only goal when Bando put him in front of goal with a spectacular through ball, and the 27-year-old striker made no mistake firing home from close range. Pachuca's star player Christian Gimenez came close to scoring on two occasions before the interval. After the break, Pachuca controlled the ball but couldn't score while Gamba players sat back and made use of their speed by playing on the counter attack. As the game reached its dying minutes, Gamba players started making mistakes and committing fouls that almost put Pachuca back in the game. In stoppage time, substitute Takahiro Futagawa was shown a straight red card for a ludicrous foul on a Pachuca player, however, Gamba held on to win the game and third place. Manchester United will clash with Liga de Quito of Ecuador later on Sunday for the final of the prestigious competition.
